The study also shows that Tier 2 and 3 cities will account for 75% of the 3G user base by 2015. Though the initial rollout was on the metro cities, the demand for 3G connection is high in Tier 2 and 3 cities, especiall y in Punjab, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana.
“Competition in the Indian 3G space is likely to be intense as most operators have set ambitious targets,” said Joss Gillet, Senior Analyst at Wireless Intelligence and author of the report. “Market share growth clearly depends on how fast operators can deploy 3G networks in their respective licensed areas, and how rapidly they can address demand in rural areas. Nevertheless, 3G will remain a niche market for some time in India, and 2.1GHz networks will initially bee mainly used to improve voice quality and reduce congestion in existing 2G networks.”
For the Great-Indian-aam-aadmi, all this simply means that the network charges are all set to come down further in both 2G and 3G networks. The competition is intense, but the real beneficiary are the end-users. Ultimately the best network would be the one that provides the best network Quality of Service (QoS) and top-notch customer care service.